The Grenada gazette., 1887-12-31
WHAT FRIGHTENED ME.
A Narrow Escape, and What
Saved My Life.

she knew should suffer from so muc
wading in the cold water after trout.
l am now going to relate what fright
ened me, and see if the readers blam
me if looked white.
1t was on bright June morning il
the year 1885, Eddie harnessed old Jim
my to the wagon, while dressed up il
my hunting suit and told the women t.
get the lunch ready. l had a stou
pair of corduroy pants made on pur
pose for hunting and fishing, and il
their make up the pockets were larg,
and long and hung down on my thigh.
in a way ! did not fancy.
Halo how is this?" cried. as | pu
my spare lines in my left pocket, (said
lines were eompactly wound upon q
carefully prepared section of pine
shingle), Il thought You promised tc
alter these pockets before / wished to
use them again"
"Who knows said my wife, "but
the depth Of those pockets may yet
save your life.
said no more.
IAN ready" shouted Eddie. turned
and saw old Jim's face peering in at
the window. ! jumped in and made
of, taking the road that led up in the
heart Of old Ossipee mountain to a
valley called Canaan. After a hard
scramble for the horse, we found our
selves in the happy land, surrounded
on all sides by lofty mountains. We
drove up to one Of the farm houses and
obtained hitching-placc for our horse;
then with our fishing tackle we started
for Beans pond-a wild, lonely place,
high up among mountains. Arriving
there, we caught sixty spcckled beau.
ties. After this we ate our lunch and
caught twenty more trout, aud made up
our mind we had caught all we could
carry over the rough road, and we had
promised the women folks that we
would get them some spruce gum,
hence We Aad taken our long.handlcd
chisel with ~. Upon the north side of
Ossipce mountain is a heavy growth of
spruce, and for it we aimed. As we
toiled mp the old logging road. we sud-
denly cane upon rattlesnake basking
in the sun directly in our path. Eddie
obtained . stout pole, and with few
well directed blows killed him.
He measured five feet and half, and
had two rattlers. Oh! how shudder
when / see one of those monsters!
Talk to me of your pithons, cobras,
moccasins. and your watersnakes, I
think there is nothing more deadly
than our own New England rattle.
snake. know they give you warning
of your danger in shrill piercing
alarms. but their deadly spring is
made at the same time of the warning.
l took o stout line and tied it round
the body Of snake, and Eddie dragged
him along, while began my hunt for
gum. knew from the nature of the
varmints there must be another snake
not great distance Off But we were
after spruce gum, not rattlesnakes,
and we began to skirmish round brisk.
ly, for the afternoon was passing. Up
the side Of the mountain we saw a
spruce, upturned by the wind
of the previous spring. The top was
lodged among clump Of scrub oaks.
Along the sides of this tree were many |
humps of pure spruce gum. ! gained
the side of the fallen tree and worked |
my way in among the thick shrubbery.
As / began to pick off the Jumps l
thought what lurking place for
snakes. These scrub oaks were about
four feet high. l knew I had stout
garments on that could stand the pull
ing OF the bushes. had secured
twenty or thirty Jumps Of gum, all
within my reach. and was making a
push further on, when l paused as
though q thunderbolt had burst upon
me. from tho clear heavens above.
Reader. did you ever hear that alarm
II not, you may have heard the shrill
:ry Of our locusts, that fly from tree to
,rce during the warm days Of summer.
Well then, you know something about
he alarm note Of the rattlesnake, and
his was what l heard, aud what ar.
'ested my steps.
In starting to spring back my heel
-aught against some obstruction. and
n order to save myself ] was obliged
o grasp . branch of the fallen spruce.
he only thing at hand stout enough
o support me, and In doing this I
made q slight spring to tho left. Mer-
iful Power! My left foot came down
N something that moved. and strug-
lied and hissed, and felt shock as |
hough ten thousand galvanic batteries \
ad sent their currents through me.
cast my eyes down, and saw a
right bow formed Of two fine threads
light, clearly defined amid the deep
hade of the shrub | knew It was the (
,ouster's eyes flaming. making curve